It's Official: Sugar is the New Crack

Swap your sweetener for these low-glycemic alternatives

Are you addicted to sugar? A new study found that eating high-glycemic foods (think: white bread, potatoes, and corn syrup) can trigger cravings and tweak the parts of your brain linked to addiction, according to a research team led by David Ludwig, MD, PhD, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center.

In the study, 12 overweight men were given two different milkshakes: one sweetened with high-glycemic index carbs (which are digested quickly), and another with low-glycemic index carbs.

The men who drank the high-glycemic milkshake experienced a sharp crash in their blood sugar levels and were more likely to overeat at their next meal. Translation: you may end up over-eating when you "treat" yourself to sugar-y snacks. And here's the mind-blower: researchers noticed that the rapid drop in blood sugar lit up the region of the brain connected to addictive behaviors. This gives credence to the idea that we can develop an actual addiction to sugar-laden foods.

So, let's take a look at sugar substitutes with a lower-glycemic index. No, we're not talking about Splenda -- there are plenty of sugar substitutes derived from plants. These low-glycemic sweeteners aren't necessarily lower in calories (although some have zero), what's important is the type of calorie when you're consuming carbs. Just like you might trade white bread in for whole grain, think about swapping out the over-processed, empty calorie high-glycemic sweeteners for the low-glycemic and less-processed counterparts.

Although exact glycemic ratings in food are difficult to determine (there are so many variables, like freshness and serving size), here's how the glycemic index (GI) breaks down: low-glycemic have a GI of <55; moderate-glycemic foods have a GI of 56-69; high-glycemic foods have a GI of >70 . White table sugar has a GI of 80 and high fructose corn syrup registers at 87.